Rajma chawalor rajma riceis delicious rajma masala (red kidney beans masala) mixed with rice, a comfort food for many who grew up eating this great combination of carbs and protein. While I personally got introduced to the joys of rajma chawal fairly recently, I don’t deny how comforting and filling it can be, especially after a long business trip or a vacation where you don’t eat your usual food for extended periods of time.
I am in New York for a week and as is the norm, after a total travel time of 28 hours (including a 6-hour delay in Frankfurt), I feel brain-dead. The euphoria of being in New York again helps but not enough to bring me out of my migraine-induced coma.
But wait, I should have written this in the past tense because it’s been 1.5 days since I got here and I am better. Not yet perfect, but better. And as Mondays have the tendency to come sooner than later, I am at work, taking a quick coffee break.
So a quick post this shall be.
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When my sister first introduced rajma beans to my moma few years back and she called it Rajamma for the longest time, incidentally what my nephew’s nanny was called. Cracks me up even today when Amma says Rajamma Masala for rajma masala.
You may also like this rajma sundal recipe.
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Rajma Chawal Recipe
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Rajma chawal is a rice dish where cooked rice is mixed with rajma masala or kidney beans masala. A comfort food that comes together in a jiffy.
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Prep Time 8 hours hrs
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 8 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
Course Rice
Cuisine Indian
Servings 2 -3
Ingredients
- 1 cup of rajma / red kidney beans
- 1 cup of rice cooked
- 1 large onion sliced thin
- 1 to mato sliced
- 1/2 tsp of cumin / jeera
- 1 " piece of Indian cinnamon powdered
- 1 " piece of ginger grated
- 2-3 green chillies chopped (or 3/4 tsp red chilli powder)
- 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp of coriander powder
- 1 tsp of amchur dried mango powder or use a little tamarind as a substitute
- 1 tsp of chaat masala
- 2 tbsp of oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Soak the rajma (kidney beans) for at least 8 hours or overnight. Pressure cook for 5-6 whistles until soft yet not mushy. Set aside.
Heat oil and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle and begin to change colour, add the onions. When they turn pink, add the powdered cinnamon, ginger, and green chillies. Fry for 2-3 mins.
Then add the coriander powder, amchur or tamarind, and turmeric. Mix well and cook for another 3-4 mins. My onion-masala mixture is red because I used red chilli powder instead of green chillies.
Add the cooked rajma along with the water used to cook it in and the sliced tomato. Mix well and let simmer for 5 mins.
When the gravy thickens a bit, add the chaat masala and salt. Mix well, bring to boil again and turn off heat.
Add cooked rice and mix gently.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and serve warm with some plain yogurt.
Rajma Chawal Recipe with Step by Step Pictures
1. Soak the rajma (kidney beans) for at least 8 hours or overnight. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles until soft yet not mushy. Set aside.
2. Heat oil and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle and begin to change colour, add the onions. When they turn pink, add the powdered cinnamon, ginger, and green chillies. Fry for 2-3 mins.
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3. Then, add the coriander powder, amchur or tamarind, and turmeric. Mix well and cook for another 3-4 mins. My onion-masala mixture is red because I used red chilli powder instead of green chillies.
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4. Add the cooked rajma along with the water used to cook it in and the sliced tomato. Mix well and let simmer for 5 mins.
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5. When the gravy thickens a bit, add the chaat masala and salt. Mix well, bring to boil again and turn off heat.
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You can stop at this step, serve this in a bowl with rotis and call it rajma masala. Or, you can go ahead and make a one-pot meal out of it. Add cooked rice and mix gently.
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Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and serve warm with some yogurt. Rajma chawal thayyaar!
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Note:
1. You can cook the rajma and rice together too. For that, make the masala as above and add the soaked rajma and washed, uncooked rice to the pressure cooker and cook for 4-5 whistles. I wanted to make sure I could adjust the spices and taste so didn’t opt for this the first time. Maybe next time that’s what I will do to save time.
2. Using canned rajma (red kidney beans) will make this a super quick dinner idea. Or even otherwise, if you remember to soak the rajma in the morning, making it for dinner on a weeknight is a breeze.
For rajma chawal recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.
